I’ll admit, couponing was the gateway drug.
It started with JUST using coupons. But after some time, it changed.
Coupons became the catalyst for something else.
I had always considered myself a deal-seeking person. But after I walked out of CVS with a bag of stuff for $.67 or loaded up the back of my van with groceries for under $60, I realized my life had been changed.
My perception of the worth of $20.00 had changed.
It became harder to just throw $20.00 at (insert anything – staff birthdays, pizza on the way home, a new set of earrings, etc) because I became VERY aware of what $20 was capable of buying.
Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t advocate becoming a cheapie. Don’t miss out on life because you are worried about $3.00 – but I think you know what I’m talking about when I say “throw money at it”.
That awareness transcended into so many other parts of my life. Because I was using cash when I shopped at the grocery store, we decided to create cash envelopes for some other categories…like Family Fun, Haircuts, Babysitter, etc.
I found that when I used cash for those categories, I stayed in budget and I started spending less – which created more financial margin.
And then, like the drug that is, I wanted more.
I looked for alternative ways to reduce our overall spending. I started making our insurance providers “bid” for our business every year to guarantee we were getting the lowest rate. I utilized the library and redbox for movies. I asked for cheaper alternatives to our current prescriptions. I started becoming an advocate for me.
And, our financial life was changed.
I told my husband this morning that for the first time in our married lives, I feel “in control” of our finances. We are able to tithe to the church, our children’s college and our IRAs are fully funded, and we are making strides to pay off our house by the time we are 42. Our family has financial margin and I don’t want to give it up – ever.
And, it all started with a $.50/1 Captain Crunch Coupon and a sale at Hy-Vee. Yes, coupons were the gateway drug to financial freedom.
What about you? Have coupons changed your financial outlook? What changes have you seen since you started strategic shopping?
Kelly I feel the same way!! I think twice about ANY money I spend now … not because I’m cheap (most of the time 😉 but because I know what my money is worth…just like you said. I think just like anything else in life, the more knowledge you have about a decision you are making; the more likely you are to make a good decision!
Great Post!
Kelly, you’ve written a lot of great things on this blog, but this post is far and away my favorite. I love it! Way to go 🙂
Coupons changed our lives when our daughter was born. I was desperate to be a stay at home mom. I wanted to be there for her-for everything. Couponing let me. It has also allowed us to give so much to our food pantry at our church. We are tithing weekly. We have so much more now that we coupon then we ever did before. I have decreased our grocery budget at HyVee from 80 a week to 25 (and YES we eat super healthy!!! Lots of fruits and veggies!!!) I thank God often for couponing!!!
I started using coupons about a year ago from another website. At that point I didn’t realize that coupons could really save you a LOT of money. I thought, well .40 add up, and if you are going to buy it, use a coupon. Mostly they were grocery coupons and I found myself buying them because I had a coupon and didn’t realize that more than just groceries have coupons! After a tip from my friend and how she has learned a lot from this website, I decided to take a little peek for myself. That was a month ago. In 1 months time, I have saved well over a hundred dollars on things that I would have only bought to use for a few weeks, or a months worth. I have managed to find Purex laundry detergent 3 in 1 sheets for under 1.50 a box, and stocked up on 10 of them, I have bought dog food for 2 big dogs for HALF price what I normally would have paid, toothpaste for free and shampoo for pretty close to free. And have purchased about 3 months worth of many products and have still made it WELL under my monthly budget. Thank you for all you have done to inform people of the couponing world and be able to save, live more comfortably, and most important Give!